Momentive laying off 32

Momentive Performance Materials Inc., a local manufacturer, has laid off workers in Ohio.

On Thursday, the company laid off 32 workers, 17 percent of its work force at the Hebron, Ohio, plant that makes products primarily serving the semiconductor industry.

Momentive spokesman John Scharf said that in early February, the company expects to hire back 14 of the 32 workers who were laid off.

The main factor behind the layoffs was the downturn in the semiconductor industry, which led to dropping sales volumes, Scharf said.

Meanwhile, Momentive continues its negotiations with a local union over 49 workers it wants to cut in Waterford. The plant in Waterford does not make products for semiconductor customers like the Ohio plant.

Momentive, which is in the process of moving its headquarters to a site in Rensselaer County, has been having negotiations with the union representing almost all of the Waterford 49 jobs it wants to outsource before the end of this year. Both sides have extended talks at least a couple weeks beyond an initial 45-day window allotted for bargaining.

Momentive has 5,000 employees worldwide; 20 percent of them work at a plant in Waterford. The 49 jobs to be cut would all come from the Waterford plant, representing the entire warehousing division and the division that handles maintenance and groundskeeping tasks.

All but six positions are unionized through Local 359 of the IUE-CWA. Calls to officials there were not returned.

Momentive could make the cuts despite union objections, but the company and union often negotiate over similar moves, giving the union a chance to present alternatives, spokesman Scharf said.

“The company is always evaluating current business conditions,” Scharf said in an interview on Friday. “We’ll determine if any additional action needs to be taken based on the current economic environment.”

Scharf said the two sides meet almost daily to continue negotiations. He declined to say when Momentive hoped to wrap up negotiations and start reducing staff.

Momentive was formed less than two years ago when General Electric Co. sold its silicone plants for $3.8 billion to Apollo Management LP, a private-equity firm in Westchester County. Momentive makes adhesives, resins and sealants for a number of industries and business sectors, including semiconductors, cosmetics, agriculture and electronics. Last year, the company lost $254 million on sales of $2.5 billion.